Composition, Composition, Composition.

A definition of composition denotes the overall arrangement of figures in a piece of work, an artists job is to identify the parts in which a painting has composed of and then describe how those parts are arranged.  I researched into composition to get a better understanding of since, well never been taught it before.... Thanks to all my previous art teachers -_-

 

I looked at some popular compositions, the Rule of Thirds for example. This rule is applied by aligning a subject within the guideline, for example placing the horizon at the top and allowing liner features to flow from each section.

 

The Golden Spiral is a composition that I looked at but didn't understand all to well - this kind of composition seemed like it could be fitted anywhere in a photograph/painting and it didn't seem to be too specific unlike  other composition rules that I looked at. After researching some more I found that the Golden spiral is all about achieving a perfect mathematical ratio (the Golden Ratio) - this is made by the spiral getting wider by a factor of Phi.

 

I looked at the composition that formed in the Renaissance because my subject preference in art is more towards Fine Art and History of Art. Throughout the Renaissance their was a huge breakthrough in the creation and uses of composition in paintings and other subject area, e.g. Architecture. An artist I looked in particular was Leonardo da Vinci, this was because of his use of Pyramidal Compositions (e.g. Virgin of the Rocks) and the Golden Triangle (Mona Lisa.)

 

The Pyramidal Composition and The Golden Triangle focuses on unity, the top of the triangle is often seen as the pinnacle/main point and the parts that are on outside left and right of the triangle on the are arranged to flank and support the main image - this is supposed to promote symmetry and balance in an image. These compositions are used to create a sense of unity his is achieved by he repeating of parts and the symmetry.

 

The Baroque Composition unlike the Pyramidal Composition, focuses more on diagonal composition of figures and asymmetry/imbalance. This uses of a Baroque composition is was also used to capture a sense of dynamism (a sense that the painting is in motion) this results in the viewers eyes being drawn constantly along the lines of  composition. This composition is used to create a theme of contrast and is achieved by using sharp and different parts throughout he piece.